Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews — Restaurant in Seattle

I’ve been coming to Red Robin for years, but after my most recent visits, I’m done.

Let’s start with the disabled parking situation: This isn’t a one-time issue—it happens all the time. Delivery drivers and others regularly park in the marked accessible spots with no regard for the law or basic decency. I’m legally disabled and need those spots, as do many of my friends. Today I watched a Red Robin delivery driver and then an Amazon truck take up disabled spaces while other disabled customers waited in their cars. The signage is either ignored or ineffective, and one of the designated spots has even been removed. If Red Robin can’t monitor their lot and protect access for disabled guests, they shouldn’t be in business. Period.

Also, Red Robin needs to install power doors. I struggle with mobility, and opening a heavy door without assistance is a real barrier. Accessibility should not be an afterthought. Has anyone in leadership ever considered that the Department of Justice might need to get involved?

Inside, the experience was just as frustrating. I came with a group of seven. We asked for water, and our server kept pushing us to buy other drinks. I don’t drink soda—just give me water without the upsell. Service has been consistently poor. On a previous visit, I ordered iced tea and never got a refill. The table-side pay system is confusing and glitchy; once I was told my payment didn’t go through and had to pay twice, with no reimbursement.

Today’s host, Simon, was hands down the rudest I’ve ever encountered. I asked if we could sit at our usual spot in the back (we had someone joining us in a wheelchair), and he flat-out lied and said the section wasn’t open—even though I saw people being seated there and even had a photo. When I politely pointed that out, he told me to go back to my table and that he was "in control." Apparently, he wasn't.

Later, when I walked over to greet a friend from church who had been sick, Simon again told me to return to my table like I was a child.

Our server, Parker, didn’t improve the experience. He spent most of the time leaning against the wall—while taking our orders and again when showing us how to use the payment machine. It looked unprofessional and disinterested. He also seemed annoyed by simple requests and even asked us to give him a good review after the subpar service.

Also, a table of construction workers who arrived well after we did got their food before us. We had placed our orders earlier and were left waiting a long time for a basic lunch.

I’ve tried to be understanding—especially post-COVID—but this is unacceptable. The inaccessibility, the rudeness, the disorganization... Red Robin has gone downhill fast. I won’t be returning, and I’ll be encouraging others—especially those with disabilities—to avoid this location until they make...

We usually end up having to sit in the bar area because it's a 20+ minute wait for regular seating when we get here before 5pm on Saturdays. I think it's because they're understaffed in the regular dining areas because they're usually not full - sometimes even empty. When we've sat in the bar area, most of the tables are too small for 2 people. I try to get one of the 2 corner table booths because they have more space, and I don't like sitting on bar height chairs. The one closest to the bar had a sunken broken booth for the longest time. Not sure if it's fixed or not. Then, the other one by the front door gets people staring and hovering over the table when it gets busy. People want to snag your table as soon as you look like you're done, so there's pressure to not linger after paying your bill.

I was surprised there was a table available right away in the regular dining area the last time I came here on a Saturday before 5pm. The booth seating on the other side of the kitchen wall was completely empty. The hostess sat us right in the middle of the wall. While waiting for our food to arrive, I noticed that all the other booths in our area along the wall were increasingly bigger the further away they were. I watched as more and more couples throughout the visit took up the bigger booths, so the hostess could have sat us with more room, but she chose to squeeze us in the smallest booth (about a half body or more smaller). I thought that was annoying, but it was too late to change things by the time I realized what happened.

About the food - I usually order the Bleu ribbon. This last visit, they put the onion straws on the bottom of the burger... I don't understand why they did that, but each bite was extremely difficult because the fried onions were on the bottom and kept falling out (more than usual) as I took each bite. Other than that, the food is usually alright. Sometimes there's bad pieces in the salad, so you have to pick around them.

The good thing about the staff is that they are always nice and generous when it comes to sauces. They don't always ask us what sauces we want except for the salads, so now we actively ask for additional sauces to go with the fries. The waiters might forget to bring over utensils before the food comes, which has happened both in the bar area and regular dining room. Ordering refills can take forever because we have to wait for a waiter to walk by, and even then, they're usually in a rush and don't always stop by to check on us.

I've noticed they don't allow splitting the bill on their tablets anymore, so that sucks. Also, they no longer print paper receipts at the tables, so I have to track someone down to print it...

As a pizza enthusiast, I was excited to try Donatos Pizza, a brand I was not previously familiar with. However, my overall experience was rather disappointing.

To begin with, it was quite unusual that Donatos is an "invisible store" located within a Red Robin restaurant.

I had to search for where I could pick up the pizza, as no clear signage or branding indicated a Donato presence.

This made the ordering process feel disjointed and confusing, which aligns with studies on restaurant ambiance and customer experience (Smith, 2018; Jones, 2020).

The pizza menu did not offer traditional toppings like crushed red pepper or Parmesan cheese. Instead, the pizzas only came with the standard Red Robin seasoning.

As a pizza enthusiast, I like to have the option to customize my pizza with classic toppings, and the lack of these accouterments was off-putting (Mayer, 2019; Chen, 2021).

Adding to my dissatisfaction, I had ordered a two-for-one pizza deal, which seemed like a good value.

However, the quality of the pizzas did not match the discounted price. The crust was unremarkable, and the overall flavor profile was lackluster, especially without the ability to add my preferred toppings. This aligns with studies showing that perceived value is an essential component of the dining experience (Threlfall, 2014; Kim, 2018).

Overall, the Donatos Pizza experience left much to be desired.

The logistical challenges of locating and ordering the pizza, the limited topping options, and the underwhelming quality made for a disappointing visit.

I do not plan to return to Donatos Pizza as a pizza lover.

References:

Chen, Y. (2021). Examining the relationship between customization and customer satisfaction in the pizza industry. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 92, 102714. Jones, P. (2020). Exploring the impact of restaurant ambiance on customer experience. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 32(2), 557-578. Kim, W. G. (2018). The antecedents and consequences of customer satisfaction in the restaurant industry. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 44, 119-128. Mayer, K. J. (2019). The impact of product customization on customer satisfaction and willingness to pay. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 83, 65-74. Smith, A. K. (2018). The role of restaurant ambiance in influencing customer experience and behavioral intentions. Journal of Foodservice Business Research, 21(2), 195-208. Threlfall, K. D. (2014). Using attribute importance to measure customer satisfaction. Managing Service Quality,...